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Blue Jackets President John Davidson Talks NHL Lockout, Life in Columbus
Published on November 26, 2012 12:10 pm
By: Jason Parks

The way John Davidson described the city of Columbus, you’d think the new president of hockey operations for the Blue Jackets had been living in the capital city of Ohio for the past decade, not still looking for his first house there. But, Davidson has been busy during the lockout getting acquainted with the Blue Jackets organization.

WE’RE NUMBER 2! WE’RE NUMBER 2! Forbes Magazine has released its survey of NHL teams, and the Columbus Blue Jackets rank second from the bottom in team value, but second from the top in operating losses. YEA TEAM!!!

And we, the taxpaying public, have bailed out these, the richest businesspeople and corporations in Columbus, and will absorb their losses for the next 27 years to the tune of at least $236,000,000.

Well … its not like there is anything else that could be done with that money. Make sense to you? Me neither … that is why I support the Columbus Coalition for Responsive Government.

The DARE 2B FAIR policy agenda includes a citizen’s ballot initiative that would require a vote of the people to continue this corporate welfare past 2015. Learn more and register to help at: http://www.columbuscoalition.info

Columbus, it seems, is King Midas in reverse when it comes to hockeyPosted: Thursday, November 29, 2012 1:18 pm
by Melissa Dilley

When the National Hockey League granted Columbus an expansion team in 1997, those few-but-fervent hockey fans in town began to dream big. Visions of Stanley Cup pageantry enveloping our fair city, and Ohio State-sized victory riots spilling into streets of the Arena District were hard to resist. The thought of gap-toothed hockey stars living among us, eating at the table across the restaurant, taking pictures and signing autographs for fans who recognized them without their helmets sounded downright worldly. And a new arena, surrounded by a new entertainment district, would become absolutely electric almost nightly as fans wearing red, white and blue jerseys filled the 18,000 seats inside.

New NHL Labor Talks Bring Optimism
December 5, 2012
by The Associated Press

NHL owners and players got right back to the bargaining table this morning just hours after ending a long day of talks that produced the greatest sense for optimism since the lockout began three months ago.

COLUMBUS, OHIO – The National Hockey League announced today the cancellation of the 2012-13 regular season schedule through January 14. The cancellation of games was necessary due to the absence of a Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL Players’ Association and the NHL.

Dispatch had a nice write up on Donald Fehr (yesterday maybe?), the NHLPA’s President or Rep or whatever. Lockouts follow this dude around. He oversaw 3 of them when he was the President of the MLB’s Players’ Association. He is terrible for whatever sports players’ association he heads. Get him out.

So glad the taxpayers bought the arena so the owners don’t feel the financial pinch while they’ve locked out the players and denied hundreds to thousands of people employment in the Arena District. This has really turned me away from even being a casual Blue Jackets fan at this point.

The NHL and the players’ association are ready to get back to the bargaining table. There were no formal negotiations Sunday, but all signs pointed to talks on Monday in an effort to end the lockout and save the season. ”There will be no further face-to-face meetings today,” the union said in a statement Sunday. ”The plan is for the sides to meet tomorrow.”

NHL, Columbus Blue Jackets Fans Get Back Their Game
January 6, 2013
by Mandie Trimble
89.7 NPR News Reporter

Columbus Blue Jackets fans and hockey fans all over are celebrating the end of the 113-day NHL lockout. Marathon negotiations during the weekend ended with a collective bargaining agreement that promises no more labor strife for the next decade. WOSU found some happy fans at a Columbus skating rink.